The Ravens announced Wednesday that they have signed running back Mark Ingram, an important and long-expected move in a busy lead-up to the opening of free agency.

According to media reports, the deal is for three years and $15 million.

The former Saints starter and Heisman Trophy winner spent his first eight seasons in New Orleans. He ranks second in franchise history in rushing yardage and first in rushing touchdowns.

The 29-year-old is expected to give the Ravens backfield a more well-rounded threat. Ingram had at least 319 receiving yards in three of his past four seasons, with 400-plus-yard totals in 2015 and 2017; only Buck Allen had 300-plus receiving yards as a Ravens running back in the same period. Ingram’s also regarded as a solid pass blocker.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said at the NFL scouting combine last month that Gus Edwardsremains the team’s No. 1 running back, but pledged that the team would “put some competition in there for him, too.” The team also returns Kenneth Dixon (333 rushing yards and 51 receiving yards) and practice squad members De'Lance Turner (4 rushing yards, 17 receiving yards) and Tyler Ervin.

The last few weeks have given us a telling glimpse of how Eric DeCosta will operate.

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As a rookie running threat, Edwards surpassed Ingram’s ground production on nearly equal carries. In 11 games (six starts), the former undrafted free agent had 137 attempts for 718 yards (5.2 per carry) and two touchdowns, along with two catches for 20 yards. Ingram, meanwhile, had 138 attempts for 645 yards (4.7 per carry) — his lowest yardage total since 2013 — and six touchdowns in 12 games (six starts).

“How much better is he going to get between year one and year two?” Harbaugh said of Edwards in Indianapolis. “You’ve gotta love a 240-pound guy that brings it every single snap. He fits pretty well with the running game that we’re involved with right now. We expect him to be really good.”

Ingram has completed a full 16-game season just three times but has never appeared in fewer than 10 games over his NFL career. He was suspended for the Saints’ first four games last year because of a violation of the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

Ingram, a New Jersey native, is the son of former New York Giants wide receiver Mark Ingram Sr. A year after being the youngest player to win the Heisman, as a second-year sophomore at Alabama, Ingram was taken No. 28 overall by the Saints in 2011.